Walt Whitman High School's Online Newspaper

A Facebook user by any other name is just the same

The annual freak-out-colleges-are-going-to-see-my-weekend-antics Facebook name change spree has begun. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for avoiding ruining your future due to the red solo cup photos all over your timeline. But, changing your name is a pretty big decision.

Cartoon by Maria Mu.

Despite the fact that there is a very, very, very small chance that colleges – in particular large universities – are actually going to take the time to search each applicant on Facebook, changing your name is somewhat of a rite of passage. We don’t even think to question why we’re all doing it, and just follow along because it seems like the thing to do.

If you’re planning on changing your name, what to change it to is always the big question. Do you go for the classic middle name replacing the last name (as I did), last name switched with a friend’s, or do you opt for something a little more creative, punny or silly?

Keep in mind though that whatever you do decide to make your name on Facebook, the decision can be life-altering. After you do it, there is no turning back. There is no changing. You are stuck with it, and let me assure you, you will be referred to as whatever you decide to make your name for the rest of your time at Whitman.

At this point, I can’t recognize half the people that pop up on my timeline, but it seems only natural. None of us really know if we need to do it, but we all do it anyway.

Related

By this point, we’re getting a hang of this whole college process. Sure, it feels like you’re perpetually writing “Why *insert school name*?” essays that make you question why you’re applying in the first place, but the misery is part of the fun.

If you’re reading this blog, odds are that you’ve participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. You’re joined by countless celebrities, as well as millions of Internet users across the country. But stop for a moment and think: “Why did I choose to donate my time/money to fight ALS?”

Trending

MCPS announced Monday that the school year will be extended one day to June 15 due to seven snow days this school year. Four additional days are built into the MCPS calendar to allow for four snow days.

With returning starters setter Stefan Greenberg and libero Grayson Jobst both missing due to commitments with the drama department, the boys volleyball team still put up a tough fight in their 3-0 loss to the Blair Blazers.

Michelle Brafman is the author of the soon-to-be-published novel, “Washing the Dead.” She is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and now resides in Glen Echo, Maryland with her family. Here she discusses her writing process, career, what it’s like to be a writer and her novel.

Co Editors-in-Chief Abby Gross and Hannah Walter work with senior superlative winners to take photos for the yearbook. Seniors Mia Carmel and Colin Hains won “Most School Spirit.” Photo by Rachel Hazan.

During the fall and spring sports seasons, athletes and fans alike enjoy the huge green field at the center of Jerome Marco Stadium. Between November and March, however, the grass field is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a nearly 58 thousand square foot white tarp sits on top of it.

Imagine if the highways operated on a pay-for-speed basis. Companies had a monopoly on the roads, and the faster you wanted to go, the more you had to pay. The rich would rocket past the poor, who would crawl along at tortoise speeds because they couldn’t afford the higher fees.

I won my dad’s March Madness office pool when I was five years old. Who knew a kindergartener could predict that the No. 3 seed Syracuse Orange would win the national championship? Since then, I have been glued to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, witnessing history in the making.